Sorry, I'm not really looking for advice, I just need some place to vent and maybe hear that some people out there have similar experiences and struggles with "accepting" family.
I started HRT 4 years ago, and came out to my parents about 3.5 years ago (when it became apparent medically I could not keep my transition a secret). I live far away from my parents and specifically flew out to see them to come out. At the time, they were upset/resistant to the idea of me transitioning, but since they knew they had no say in the matter (as I am self-sufficient) they came around to acceptance. Within a year, my mom in particular became very vocal about having a trans kid, supportive, etc.. But it's mostly all blanket support for trans people online/to friends and essentially no action when it comes to me, the actual trans person in her life.
As I said before, I live far away and support myself, so the lack of "true" support is not something that is particularly an issue when it comes to me living my life... until we're in the same room. I don't visit them often because I can't afford to, and they don't visit me often because they don't like where I live, however my mom does try and make a trip to see me once a year, which is this week. Yesterday we were out and she made a comment about how lucky I am to have such "woke, liberal" parents that support me when so many people don't. I kinda brushed this off as, "Yeah, true," in a half-hearted way because I know I could have much worse parents, but I had also just seen that she still hasn't changed her contact for me in her phone from my dead name. At least I know my dad has changed his to just my first initial.
Well today she visited my workplace of about 20 employees where I'm mostly stealth (my boss, his wife, and one coworker know), and promptly told our receptionist she's here to see "my daughter" and then proceeded to use she/her pronouns for me in a room full of my coworkers, including my boss' wife. Very promptly after that, another coworker who wasn't in the room at the time asked who my mom was (thinking it might be a client), and my boss' wife told him that she was my mom who was visiting "her daughter, [my very masculine name]." I know about this because my coworker mentioned it to me, joking that our boss' wife is "clearly losing it." While that's in a way affirming, it still felt life-ruining to be ostensibly outed three different times in my workplace where most people perceive me to be a cis man.
We then went out to dinner with a family friend. Our friend was discussing her sister being pregnant with a boy and my mom replied, "I'm so glad I only have girls," as an aside. The waiter then showed up and my mom asked "what are we thinking, ladies?" to me and the friend. And for whatever reason, that was just a breaking point to me. I couldn't even pretend to be involved or interested in conversation for the rest of dinner, and when I got home I just kind of sat down, dejected.
The thing is, I look in the mirror and I see a man. I know I sound masculine, and I am never misgendered by strangers or anyone who has met me post-transition. Even those I've known pre-transition never accidentally/offhandedly misgender me (anymore), even people I've only seen once or twice since I came out. Since I know it's nothing to do with my outward appearance, it just comes down to the fact that my mom is truly never going to see me as her son, let alone a man. She's only accepting of me because it's the "right thing to do" and gives her "woke, liberal parent" status, and not because she actually sees and recognizes my identity.
And it sucks to say this because I know so many people are facing hardships with their parents and wish their situation was "only this bad," but sometimes I really just wish I had unsupportive parents so it would at least make sense as to why I am still seen as a she/her, feminine terms-only daughter to them. Instead, it's just further proof that no matter what I do or say and no matter how much time passes, I am not and never will be a real man to my family.